Mental health statistics

A citation-ready overview of U.S. mental health statistics. Figures are drawn from government and research sources and should be cited with their original source.

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental illness — an estimated 57.8 million adults (22.8%). Source: NIMH / SAMHSA NSDUH, 2021 data
• 14.1 million adults live with a serious mental illness (about 5.5% of U.S. adults). Source: NIMH / SAMHSA NSDUH, 2021 data
• 47.2% of U.S. adults with any mental illness received mental health services in the past year — meaning over half did not. Source: NIMH / SAMHSA NSDUH, 2021 data
• ~19% of adults experience an anxiety disorder in a given year; about 31% will at some point in their lives. Source: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• 21 million adults had at least one major depressive episode (about 8.3% of U.S. adults). Source: NIMH / SAMHSA NSDUH, 2021 data
• ~49,000+ deaths by suicide in the U.S. in a single recent year — roughly one death every 11 minutes. Source: CDC, 2022 data
• ~20% of youth (12–17) had a major depressive episode in the past year. Source: NIMH / SAMHSA NSDUH, 2021 data

Sources

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — Mental Illness statistics
• SAMHSA — National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — suicide data

Last reviewed June 23, 2026. Statistics are point-in-time and should be re-verified against the latest official releases before publication or citation.

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